I love this brush -- its other rave reviews here are well-deserved. This was my first MAC eyeshadow brush, and it works so well universally for applying and blending. Even though I have bought other eyeshadow brushes since, I still use this one the most. This one makes eyeshadow application very easy.

The bristles are soft and not harsh on the skin (important especially in the sensitive eye area). I have not experienced any shedding with this brush.

I was a total MAC newbie when I bought this product. I can tell why the MAC sales associate recommended this specific brush, since it works so well as a starter eyeshadow brush for those who are new to MAC or new to makeup in general.

This brush is something I use quite often but tend not to think about. I've had the same brush for 4 or 5 years now at least and it's lasted, not shed, and this has impressed me. I don't use this to try to pack on color (I use the 239 for that), but it applies a wash of color beautifully, and I also like it for applying dark colors for a readily smoked effect. I call this my "worker brush" because it gets its job done without fancy fanfare. I'd buy it again.

I had this brush for about 5 years and it still looks and feels like a new brush. The bristle are densely bundled but soft and I use it to apply eye shadow to my upper eyelids. It does a great job and this brush is very durable. Even though I've had it for so long it doesn't shed at all.

This one was my first actual MAC brush purchase (I have the 150 which was a gift) and I love it. I am not at all adept at applying intricate eyeshadow - in fact, I usually do a primer, a lid color and maybe a highlight and call it a day. This brush is great for applying my shadow on my lid. It goes on even and smooth and perfect - even my loose powder shadows. This I would actually buy again. The price is a bit off-putting but well worth the investment. No brush in my arsenal compares.

I use this brush everyday and I don't think I could do with another one!! It is just perfect for distributing colour on lids. Not great for blending the colours out, but as it's not meant to, I wasn't expecting it to... I did try a similar brush from Smashbox (which I absolutely love for some brushes) for the same job, but it just was not the same.

It's interesting how divided the reviews are on this brush, and I can definitely understand why it doesn't work for some people. That said, it works brilliantly for me!

First of all, yes, it is small and may not be useful to everyone. I have fairly small eyes and I find that some brushes are just a bit too big if I need to do delicate crease work or blending. The fibres on this brush are incredibly soft and feel very gentle against the skin, but the drawback to this is that there isn't a lot of stiffness to it. The best aspect of this brush is its versatility. I always take it with me when I travel because it has so many uses. It is great for highlighting the brow bone, and adding a sheer wash of colour to the entire eyelid. You will have to work harder if you want to really pack the colour on and want a finish like you might achieve with a 239 or similar, but if you just want a subtle wash it's perfect for that as it will rarely, if ever, deposit too much colour. I also like it for blending out the edges when my shadow is almost finished but just needs that extra finesse. Finally, I tend to use this brush for deepening my crease colour or outer v as it's small enough for me to be fairly elaborate with. In terms of quality, I've had this brush for years and it hasn't shed a hair so far.

Overall I do think that this brush is somewhat underrated, but I can understand people's apprehension to it. It was one of the first MAC brushes I bought so I think I was very keen to use it and figure it out, and as a result I've found out how to use it best for my needs and I love it. If you find that some brushes just seem too big for your eyes and you want something that works well for multiple different uses, I feel you could do a lot worse than start with this brush. However, if you already have separate brushes for packing on colour, blending and doing creasework then this might be redundant in your collection!